God's chastisement was upon Judah
For serving the gods of the heathens;
Taken captives by the Babylonians
Was a hard way to learn life's lessons.





God could not be triffled with sin
As could be seen in sacred writings--
Obedience brings victory and blessings,
Disobedience brings judgment and cursings.





God would carry out His purposes
For His heritage back then and now;
The prophets wrote of future triumphs
For those who obey, worship, and bow.





I greatly rejoice in my Saviour,
I will joy in His free salvation;
He's the Source of my unfailing strength,
My Solid Rock, my Firm Foundation.





To face life's sorrows and sufferings
He helps to strengthen in Him my faith;
By beholding Jesus I am changed
From glory to glory by His grace.





He makes my poor lame feet like hinds' feet
To climb life's steep and rugged mountains;
He sets me upon my high places
With crystal springs and living fountains.





If faithful and obedient to God
And delight in Him and His law,
Then He'll cause me to ride upon the
High places of the earth and feed me
With the heritage of Jacob my father.
(Isaiah 58:13,14)





God occupies and takes possession
Of my heart--His citadel and throne;
All doubts and fears are gone and my soul
Is happy and bursting with this song:





I'm pressing on the upward way.
New heights I'm gaining every day.
I'm praying as I onward bound.
Lord, plant my feet on Higher Ground.





My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay.
Though some may dwell where these abound.
My prayer my aim is Higher Ground.





Lord, lift me up and let me stand
By faith on heaven's table land.
A higher plane than I have found.
Lord, plant my feet on Higher Ground.





I'm going to live above the world.
Though Satan's darts at me are hurled.
For faith has caught the joyful sound
The song of saints on Higher Ground.





Then, Lord, from Mt Pisgah's lofty heights
I view my home past celestial spaces;
I bow on my knees and worship You,
Amazed by hinds' feet on high places.





"Make haste, Beloved, be thou like an hart
On mountains spicy sweet;
And I, on those High Places where thou art,
Will follow on hinds' feet;
As close behind the hart, there leaps the roe,
So where thou goest, I will surely go."


Copyrighted © Lydia Haga 2004
Higher Ground  by Johnson Oatman, Jr.
Last stanza by Hannah Hurnard